Baby Steps: The Birth of Stored-Program Computing

On December 1st in Science History, one significant event took place in 1948 when the first stored-program computer, the Manchester Baby, successfully executed its first program. This event marked a major milestone in the history of computing and laid the foundation for modern computer science.

The Manchester Baby, officially known as the Small-Scale Experimental Machine (SSEM), was developed by a team of researchers at the University of Manchester in England. The team, led by Frederic C. Williams and Tom Kilburn, aimed to create a machine that could store and execute a program electronically, rather than relying on manual input or punched cards.

The Manchester Baby was a relatively simple machine compared to today's standards, but it was revolutionary for its time. It consisted of a cathode ray tube (CRT) memory, which could store up to 32 words of 32 bits each, and a central processing unit (CPU) that could perform basic arithmetic and logical operations.

On December 1st, 1948, at 11:00 AM, the Manchester Baby successfully ran its first program, which was designed to find the highest proper factor of a given number. The program, written by Tom Kilburn, consisted of 17 instructions and took approximately 52 minutes to complete. This event demonstrated the feasibility of stored-program computers and paved the way for the development of more advanced computing systems.

The success of the Manchester Baby attracted significant attention from the scientific community and the media. It was seen as a major breakthrough in the field of computing, and its design influenced the development of subsequent computers, such as the Manchester Mark 1 and the Ferranti Mark 1.

The legacy of the Manchester Baby can still be felt today, as the principles of stored-program computing form the basis of modern computer architecture. The event on December 1st, 1948, marked the beginning of a new era in computing, one that would revolutionize science, technology, and society as a whole.

In honor of this significant achievement, a replica of the Manchester Baby was built in 1998 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its first successful program run. The replica is now on display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, serving as a testament to the ingenuity and perseverance of the researchers who made this groundbreaking event possible.


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